Browsing by Author "Mikkola, Hennamari"
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Item Competition as a Driver of Industry Evolution in Dental Services(2006) Jauhiainen, Sami; Widström, Eeva; Mikkola, Hennamari; Tuotantotalouden osasto; Teknillinen korkeakoulu; Helsinki University of Technology; Laamanen, TomiIn Finland, dental services are provided both by the public and private sectors. Traditionally the division of duties between the two sectors has been clearly defined, but in 2001-2002 the Finnish dental care system was thoroughly reformed, and providers of private dental services found themselves in direct competition with the public dental service. So far little is known how changes in the external environment have affected the private dental care market. The main research problem of this thesis is, How is the structure of the Finnish dental care industry evolving? This question is answered in three stages. First, guidelines for defining industry structure and analyzing competitive dynamics in dental services are derived from earlier research in the areas of strategic group research, organizational ecology, and markets for dental services. Second, the structure of the Finnish dental care industry is defined in terms of key strategic dimensions of dental practices. Third, the identified industry structure is used as a framework for analyzing how competitive pressures are driving industry's evolution. The primary empirical data of this thesis consist of a questionnaire study targeted to the private dentists operating in the ten biggest cities of Finland. Based on the literature review, service differentiation and process integration are identified as key determinants of dental practice strategy. Service differentiation refers to the extent to which private dental practices have differentiated their services from the public dental service, whereas process integration describes how integrated dental practices' operations are. Based on these two strategic dimensions three groups of group dental practices are identified: Small practices, Integrated practices, and Loosely integrated practices. In addition, traditional solo practices are considered as a separate category of dental care providers. The results suggest that there are differences in performance and intensity of competition within the identified industry structure. In addition, these differences seem to be related to dental practices' strategic orientation towards service differentiation and process integration. Even though the industry as a whole has benefited from the national dental care reform, the reform has apparently created some competitive pressures to service providers with a low level of service differentiation. If the political determination to continue the expansion of the public dental service prevails, competition in basic care might intensify and dental practices may be forced to increase the provision of services that are not available in health centers.Item Empirical Studies on Finnish Hospital Pricing Methods(Helsinki School of Economics, 2002) Mikkola, Hennamari; Kauppakorkeakoulu; School of Business; Haaparanta, Pertti, professorItem Yksityisen ja julkisen hammashoidon käyttöasteen kehitys 2010–2016 : Kela-korvaustason ja tulotason yhteys käyttöasteeseen(TERVEYDEN JA HYVINVOINNIN LAITOS, 2022) Halminen, Olli; Vesinurm, Märt; Mikkola, Hennamari; Linna, Miika; Tuotantotalouden laitos; Kela
